In a transaction involving business-supply manufacturers, the Milwaukee-based Schwaab, Inc. has announced the acquisition of Carolina Marking Devices. Terms and conditions of the sale were not disclosed.
Schwaab is a maker of hand stamps, name badges and namplates, signage, and business cards, and Carolina Marking Devices, based in Charlotte, N.C., has been the dominant supplier of the same products in the southeastern United States.
The Carolina company was founded in 1957 by Sol Shapiro, and has been run by wife, Ada, since his death in 1996. Ada has decided to retire.
Schwaab will maintain the company’s sales and marketing operations in Charlotte and move most of its manufacturing operations to a production facility in Atlanta, Ga. Some manufacturing will be moved to Schwaab’s headquarters in Milwaukee.
Douglas R. Lane, president of Schwaab, said the company’s growth strategy has been to expand the sale of core product lines through the acquisition of similar companies in key U.S. geographic locations.
Carolina Marking is Schwaab’s ninth acquisition in the past decade; they have included the purchase of Capitol Rubber Stamp in Milwaukee.
